Posted on: January 14, 2019

Inspiration Everywhere

Persepolis translates designer Bahram Shabahang’s architectural education and Persian heritage into a one of our favorite modern carpets.

Named after the Achaemenid palace, Persepolis is a bird’s-eye view of the compound and its surrounding landscape. The crosses in the center of the design are depictions of the Persian columns that lined the vast halls of the structure. Once the capital of the Persian empire, Persepolis palace was known as the ‘Hall of a Hundred Columns,’ the bases of which can still be seen today at this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The outer design shows the landscape surrounding palace. The Ghashghai tribe, known for their beautifully handcrafted carpets, is a nomadic tribe that has historically migrated in these lands during the summer months. The triangles around the border are representations of their tents.

The color palette was specifically selected as it correlates to the favored colors of the Ghashghai people. Their tribal carpets typically contain reds, blues, and yellows. This is because they derive their natural dyes from flowers collected on the mountain sides and valleys visited during their migration.